What color eggs do Sicilian Buttercups lay?

**White** eggs, small to medium in size — a typical Mediterranean-class white layer. They are steady but not heavy producers, in the range of roughly 140–180 eggs per year.

Are Sicilian Buttercups good for showing?

Yes, for exhibitors who enjoy a rare breed. They're shown in the APA's **Mediterranean** class (Golden variety, large fowl and bantam) and judged first on the signature **cup-shaped comb** — a symmetric ring of points with an open center. A textbook comb, willow-green legs, and clean spangling make a competitive bird, and thin classes mean well-typed birds place well.

How hard are Sicilian Buttercups to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. The eggs are small to medium, and the chicks are unusually lively and quick to fly, so brood them in a secure, covered space. There are no special incubation requirements.

What is the cup-shaped comb, and why does it matter?

It's the breed's defining feature: a circular, crown-like comb with evenly spaced points around the rim and none across the center. It matters because it's what the breed is judged on, and a comb that closes over the top or reads as a single blade is a serious fault — a single comb is disqualifying.

Can you tell male from female Sicilian Buttercups by color?

Largely, yes. Males are rich reddish-orange with a black tail, while females are golden buff marked with rows of small black spangles. This natural plumage difference makes the breed easy to sex by sight once feathered out.

Are Sicilian Buttercups broody?

Rarely. Like most Mediterranean-class breeds they are active, flighty layers that seldom go broody, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed to hatch their eggs.

Sicilian Buttercup: The Cup-Combed 'Flowerbird'

Verified September 2026White eggs

The short version

The Sicilian Buttercup is a rare heritage breed in the APA's Mediterranean class, defined by its cup-shaped comb — a circle of evenly spaced points forming a crown, with no points crossing the center. It lays small-to-medium white eggs, carries golden buff plumage with willow-green legs, and is strongly sexually dimorphic: cockerels are reddish with black tails while hens are buff with rows of black spangles. Admitted to the APA Standard in 1918 (bantam in 1960), it is a light, active, rarely-broody forager best suited to warm climates.

APA class: Mediterranean

Egg color: White

Broodiness: Rarely broody

Varieties: 2

Egg-color genetics

Like most Mediterranean-class breeds, the Sicilian Buttercup lays a chalk-white shell with no brown or blue pigment applied over the base. Eggs run small to medium, and shell color is uniform white rather than the tinted or cream shades seen in dual-purpose breeds.

What makes the cup comb special

The Buttercup comb is unlike any other standard chicken comb: instead of a single blade or a rose, it forms a circular crown — a cup whose rim carries a ring of regularly spaced, medium-length points, with the center left open. On the best birds it looks like a flower blossom or a serrated teacup, which is where the 'Flowerbird' nickname comes from. It is thought to have arisen from two single combs merging into a ring.

For a breeder this comb is both the reward and the challenge. It is highly variable and does not come perfectly on every chick, so producing a pen of clean, symmetric cups takes years of selection. A comb that closes over, sprouts points across the middle, or collapses toward a single blade is the difference between a show bird and a cull.

A rare breed worth conserving

The Sicilian Buttercup is tracked by The Livestock Conservancy as a heritage breed at risk, and the American Buttercup Club — first organized in 1912 — exists specifically to keep the breed and its distinctive comb alive. Numbers are low enough that responsible breeding matters: keeping single-variety pens, selecting for the correct cup comb and willow legs, and getting birds in front of judges all help the breed's future.

Breeding notes

The cup-shaped comb is the breed's entire identity and the trait to select hardest for: a good comb sits as a single circular crown of medium, evenly spaced points with an open, cup-like center. Combs that partially close over the top, throw points across the middle, or slip toward a single-comb shape are the most common faults — breed away from them rather than reproducing standard text.
A true single comb is a disqualifying fault for a cup-combed breed, so cull any bird whose comb reads as a single blade instead of a ringed cup; because comb shape is polygenic, expect variation in every clutch and keep only the cleanest cups for breeding pens.
Plumage is naturally sex-distinct, which makes selection straightforward: males are rich reddish-orange with a black tail, while females are golden buff patterned with small, oval black spangles laid out in parallel rows. Select hens for even, well-defined spangling and males for clean red body color without smutty or washed-out tone.
Hold to breed type overall — a slender, active Mediterranean body, willow-green shanks and toes with yellow foot bottoms, and white earlobes. Green legs are a signature; yellow or slate shanks signal outcrossing and should be culled from a breeding flock.

Showing notes

Exhibited in the APA's Mediterranean class as the Golden variety in both large fowl and bantam. The judge's eye goes first to the comb: a symmetrical cup of uniform points with an open center is what wins, and comb faults are the usual reason a good-bodied bird places poorly.
Condition and clean the willow-green legs and white earlobes, and present hens with crisp, evenly-rowed spangling. Because the breed is rare, entries are often thin — a well-typed bird with a textbook cup comb is competitive at most shows.
Watch for disqualifying or heavily-faulted traits: a single (blade) comb, side sprigs, off-color (non-willow) legs, or red in the earlobe. These are exhibitor giveaways of poor comb genetics or outcross ancestry.

Hatching & incubation

No breed-specific incubation needs — treat as a standard chicken egg at 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. Eggs run small to medium, so a setter's egg trays may hold them a little loosely; snug them so they don't shift.
Chicks are lively and flighty from day one, typical of the Mediterranean class. Brood with secure, low-draft covers because they jump and fly early; this is a rearing quirk, not a hatching one.

Recognized varieties

Golden Buttercup (large fowl)Golden Buttercup (bantam)

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Sicilian Buttercups lay?: White eggs, small to medium in size — a typical Mediterranean-class white layer. They are steady but not heavy producers, in the range of roughly 140–180 eggs per year.
Are Sicilian Buttercups good for showing?: Yes, for exhibitors who enjoy a rare breed. They're shown in the APA's Mediterranean class (Golden variety, large fowl and bantam) and judged first on the signature cup-shaped comb — a symmetric ring of points with an open center. A textbook comb, willow-green legs, and clean spangling make a competitive bird, and thin classes mean well-typed birds place well.
How hard are Sicilian Buttercups to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. The eggs are small to medium, and the chicks are unusually lively and quick to fly, so brood them in a secure, covered space. There are no special incubation requirements.
What is the cup-shaped comb, and why does it matter?: It's the breed's defining feature: a circular, crown-like comb with evenly spaced points around the rim and none across the center. It matters because it's what the breed is judged on, and a comb that closes over the top or reads as a single blade is a serious fault — a single comb is disqualifying.
Can you tell male from female Sicilian Buttercups by color?: Largely, yes. Males are rich reddish-orange with a black tail, while females are golden buff marked with rows of small black spangles. This natural plumage difference makes the breed easy to sex by sight once feathered out.
Are Sicilian Buttercups broody?: Rarely. Like most Mediterranean-class breeds they are active, flighty layers that seldom go broody, so plan on an incubator or a broody hen of another breed to hatch their eggs.

Sources

American Buttercup Club (breed history, comb & club) — American Buttercup Club (Breed club)
Buttercup Chicken (breed profile & conservation status) — The Livestock Conservancy (Reference)
Sicilian Buttercup Chicks (cup comb, white eggs, egg output) — Cackle Hatchery (Hatchery)

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